‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.’- St. Augustine

I have been obsessed with ocean since I was a kid. We used to go to Sea World or the Pacific Ocean and I would just be in awe. I had calendars and stuffed animals, dreaming of one day becoming an oceanographer. I didn’t but the love of the water continued. I had always heard of the Galapagos Islands being rich in wildlife and then reading Charles Darwin’s Origins of the Species in college solidified the intrigue. I never really thought of it as someplace people actually visited, that it was a land of researchers and in the pages of books. But you can go!

A few years ago, when I started this blog and its Instagram account, I befriended a woman named Angelica who ran Terra Sur Travels with her partner, Christian. Terra Sur is an eco-friendly agency and has top ratings from Trip Advisor. They have lots of options but the one that stood out for me was the Galapagos. So, after dragging my feet, I decided now was the time to do it. So I reached out and they took care of it all (Angelica is no longer with the company but Christian is). And since I was flying in and out of Quito, I was able to add a couple days there too! I went at the end of May, which is concluding their rainy season. I thought this was the perfect time to be there. Still very humid but temperatures in the 80s. The only thing I was told was NEVER come during El Nino, apparently a significant number of wildlife die and the ones you do see are starving. This was from one of the guides, so keep in mind.

The trip of my dreams was planned. I will be completely honest, I had no idea the Galapagos Islands were a part of Ecuador. I thought they were their own sovereign nation like Fiji or the like but I was wrong! Which brings me to the first thing to know. While a myriad of ways to get to Quito, there are only two airlines that will take you to the Galapagos-LATAM, who I chose, and Avianca. When booking, flights tend to stop in Guayaquil, the only other town you can get a flight to. Layovers are short, like 30 minutes, so don’t be deterred. If you’re flying from Quito, you don’t even get off the plane.

So to get there, I took my go to American Airlines from Austin (it was cheapest) to Miami to Quito to the Galapagos. But getting the separate ticket is not the only thing to keep in mind. Gaining access to the Galapagos is strictly regulated. I arrived in Quito, it was nearly midnight and my LATAM flight was about 6:30 am so I stayed in the airport. Quito’s airport is open 24/7 but because you are on separate tickets and increased screenings, I couldn’t recheck my bag until the morning. There are a couple shops and places to eat from this area so don’t worry that it’s like American airports where the baggage claim/airport entry are void of anything. In this area is the most important thing you need to do to get to the islands. There is an office to gain a transit pass, you can’t miss it as it is next to the sliding entry doors of the airport near the bathrooms. It is only open from 5 am to noon (verify as hours change based on season). You have to stop here to be able to get on the plane and the line can get long. As soon as the stanchions went up, I was first in line. It costs $20 cash. Ecuador uses US Dollars, so very easy and no conversion math. I took out $500 before I left because you have to have cash to get to the Galapagos.

So once you’ve gotten all the things you need, cleared the checkpoint, and boarded your plane, off you go. Landing in the Galapagos (I was at the Baltra airport) rivals the beauty of landing in Queenstown, New Zealand. It was stunning! You then get off and have to go through a mini-version of customs. I had to provide my passport (which was stamped), the transit pass I was given, and $200 in cash. Now, I was told by Christian that I needed the money. But I met some others who did not know that it was $200, $200 per person, and/or in cash only. I have no idea what happens if you do not have cash and I didn’t see an ATM. So bring cash. From the airport, you board a shuttle ($5 each way), and then a ferry ($1) to take you to Santa Cruz Island, where I was going to be staying. I had a driver there to meet me.

Some shops I needed cash (like markets) but for the most part, I just used Apple Pay. So of the $500 cash I brought and $280 I had left after entry, I used the money mostly for ferries and tipping my guides. ATMs are also available if you need. I have an international plan through AT&T but it took me a day and a half to get it to work. My phone automatically connected to Claro, which seems to be the biggest cell phone provider in Ecuador, but it didn’t do anything. Then I realized I had other options by turning off the automatic connection in the cellular settings. I had three and Movistar worked amazing! So check your options. Also, while I am an exclusive Apple Maps user, in Ecuador, while I could find things, I couldn’t get directions. So I used Google Maps, which worked great. I still prefer Apple Maps but I’m very glad I Google came to the rescue. Something else I was not ready for and a new experience, Ecuador’s relationship wit toilet paper. For ecological reasons, there are signs everywhere in the Galapagos to not flush toilet paper. Most trash bins had covers so while a bit gross, not visibly so. In Quito, you can flush toilet paper but you may not have any to flush. If you’re lucky, there will be a communal paper dispenser before you go into the stall or there might not be at all. After one unfortunate experience, I made sure to grab some from the hotel before I left. I will be getting a Kula Cloth, something I see backpackers I follow carry while camping, for future trips to places I’ve not been. While I have no idea the toilet situation, I will always have something!

As for packing, I had some beach wear and more layers for Quito. Traveled with my trusty Away suitcase. I had my own snorkel and towel but all the boats had ones I could have used (even when they said bring a towel due to none being available, they were). I had my lumix underwater camera from when I went to Australia but it died mid-snorkel (the computer fizzled, not due to water, and I suspect just being old and unused). My GoPro Hero11, which I bought for the trip, also failed. This I was really mad about but reached out to GoPro and they are going to be replacing my camera and with the Hero12. I really appreciated their customer service. What did work really well was the waterproof pouch I brought for my phone. Now, not GoPro quality, but as it did not break, I was glad to have it. I bought on Amazon and then attached a float strap just in case.

I also had my trusty Lumix G9. I really love this camera and one of my favorite parts is that it is weather sealed, unlike my previous G7. Perfect for unpredictable weather. Then, due to this trip and some others in the pipeline, my dad bought me a telephoto lens for my birthday/Christmas. It has added a bit more weight to my pack but the images it allowed me to capture…there are no words!

For clothing in the Galapagos, I had swimsuits, hiking shorts, I wore my Nike AirForceOnes on the plane, and planned to wear my Chacos around the island. That was a bad idea because the sandals, which I had worn before, caused a lot of blisters, including one on the bottom of my right foot. I still wore them and used a lot of bandaids but will be selling on Postmark and giving Tevas a go for my December trip to Costa Rica. Since it is such a small island, I couldn’t just go buy another pair of sandals, just lived with regret I didn’t bring my Birkenstocks lol. For my Quito adventures, I wore my trusty Danner hiking boots (I bought on sale, so keep an eye out).

One thing I did LOVE was the Sahara shade hoodie I bought from REI. Some solo female travelers I follow on socials recommended them so I bought two when they were on sale and will be buying more. There were a couple hikes on some of my excursions and this was perfect. Worked great after snorkeling. They never got super disgusting or smelled. I just bought two tank tops. Cannot recommend enough and, again, I want all of the colors next time they’re on sale.

I want to note, I do not speak Spanish outside of a handful of words. Terra Sur knew this so it wasn’t an issue as far as excursions went. I will say, I found more people spoke at least conversational English in the Galapagos versus in Quito. Something to keep in mind, did not limit my trip at all but I had to look up a lot of words on menus in Quito.

I cannot wait to share my trip with you, I did some of the most incredible things!!!